Flat panel display devices commonly use LCD panels. An LCD panel may include a pixel region having an array of pixel thin film transistors and intersecting arrays of spaced apart data lines and gate lines that are connected to the array of pixel thin film transistors. The array of pixel thin film transistors, data lines and gate lines form an array of addressable pixels. The LCD panel may also include a peripheral region associated with driver integrated circuit chips (ICs), which drive the array of pixel thin film transistors. The ICs may be mounted to the LCD panel in the peripheral region thereof using a chip-on-glass (COG), a tape-carrier-package (TCP) or a chip-on-film (COF) technology. In COG, TCP, and COF, anisotropic conductive films (ACFs) are used to bond the driver ICs or the flexible printed circuits or other films which carry driver ICs to the LCD panel.
It is desirable to inspect the electronic aspects of LCD panels and archive ACF bonding conditions. Presently, however, there is no convenient method for measuring the contact resistance of the ACF bonds directly on the LCD panels. Accordingly, a method is needed which allows the contact resistance of the ACF bonds to be measured on the LCD panels.